12 Presents
by Hitomi Junko
Summary: A Sakura gives Sasuke 12 presents on his birthday.  12 different presents, each having their own meanings to them and Sasuke's thoughts... SASUSAKU Oneshot for Sasuke's birthday ;


A/N: Hey Guys! This is for Sasuke's birthday, though its belated. Readers who read my other stories, please be patient, I've been pretty busy these days ): Happy Belated Birthday, Sasuke!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any songs in this one shot.

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12 Presents

"Sasuke!" Sakura giggled.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and turned to face Sakura. "What?" He replied.

"Do you know what day it is today?" Sakura looked at him excitedly.

"Friday."

"No! Not that! It's an occasion." Sakura sighed, expecting Sasuke to understand what she was implying.

"…Us treating Naruto to ramen today is an occasion?" Sasuke twitched.

"NO! It's your birthday, silly!" Sakura started jumping up and down.

Sasuke simply raised his eyebrows, a sign of him saying 'so?' in his mind and stood there waiting for her to continue.

"It's important! Has anyone given you presents?"

"Hn."

"I take that as a yes. Who and how many?"

Sasuke sighed, before leading Sakura to an alley and pointing to the garbage bin. Wrapped up gifts of all sorts were scattered on the floor, around the overfilled –with presents- bin. Sakura could only gape at the scene.

"The only present I kept so far was Naruto's." Sasuke shrugged, pulling out a keychain of a ramen cup from his pocket. Sakura smiled at Naruto's obvious choice of a present for Sasuke, but slowly adjusted herself to the scene once again.

"You threw all those presents away!" She suddenly snapped.

"Aa. All held no meaning to them, they were either from girls I didn't know or…gays…I don't know why I kept Naruto's, but I threw Kakashi's present away too as I didn't want it."

"What did he give you?"

"A porn book."

"Oh."

"…" Sasuke just stood there; face impassive, facing a not-so-surprised Sakura.

"Anyway… Guess what I'm going to give you!" Sakura started the conversation again.

"A present."

"Geez, Sasuke! Stop being so dead! I'm going to give you 12 presents! 1 every one hour, except the last one, which will be at 11pm tonight!"

Sakura smacked Sasuke, who in turn shot a small glare at her.

"Why the hell would you waste so much time?" Sasuke asked.

"…That's because…It was when we were 12 that we first became a team and became closer. Now that you've come back at 15, I figured you'd want to remember the memory always." Sakura had a poker face on.

"Hn…Whatever…I don't need gifts. They're not important and neither are birthdays." Sasuke muttered, only for Sakura's ears, before sauntering away into the village crowd. Sakura just stood there, face saddened, when suddenly it turned to one of great motivation, as she went off to look for 12 presents.

* * *

Present One: A watch.

"Sasuke! I've got one, I've got one!" Sakura ran towards Sasuke, who was seated quietly in Konoha's library, reading.

"SHHHHHHHHHH!" The librarian growled.

"Oh, SORRY!" Sakura screamed to the librarian, who was at the other side of the library. The librarian just rolled her eyes and resumed work.

"What?" Sasuke whispered, twitching.

"I've got one of your presents!" Sakura took out a box.

"I'm readin-"

"It's your birthday, that's what matters." Sakura interrupted Sasuke, and presented the box to him, wanting him to take it and open it. Sasuke closed his eyes, and opened them before taking the box from her hands. He opened it, only to reveal a watch.

"Here! You're always so busy that you lose track of time and forget to have fun! The watch is for you to remember time in life is really important, and you should use that time to go out and have some fun, instead of being cooped up at home." Sakura explained the present to him, eyes sparkling.

"…"

"So, do you like it?"

"Hn…"

_What I need is more time with you._

* * *

Present Two: A Neck Tie.

"Ohhhhh SASUKE! I've got another one!" Sakura exclaimed, waving her hands around, as she crawled onto the grass, next to Sasuke.

"Hn…You always have to ruin every quiet moment I have." Sasuke said, sitting up from the grass. He had been cloud watching, a hobby influenced by Shikamaru –insert Shika's glorious grin here- Sakura giggled, before taking out another box.

"Here! It's a neck tie!" Sakura said as Sasuke opened the box.

"…" Sasuke looked at Sakura confused.

"You can wear it to formal events! Well, main point of it is to treasure the ties with your friends, and not leave them when they need you the most. Be nice to them, as you never know when they'd be gone. Don't ever leave us again." Sakura nodded as she explained the gift. Sasuke's eyes softened at the last part, as Sakura's tone of voice had saddened at those words.

"Like it?"

"Aa…"

_Fixing the now changed ties between us would be worth treasuring too._

* * *

Present Three: A NARUTO.

"Sasuke!" An unrecognizable shout came from behind him. Sasuke widened his eyes, and took out a kunai from below his bed, before shooting it towards his window.

"Wohh! CHILL MAN!" Naruto caught the kunai and shouted. Sakura smacked him.

"Idiot, you're not supposed to talk!" Sakura seethed, causing Naruto to shut up.

"Sakura, what the hell?" Sasuke looked at her expectingly.

"Well, we managed to scare you just now!" She chuckled.

"…How'd you get in?"

"Duh, through the window? We're NINJAS!" Sakura flashed her pearly whites.

"…What now?"

"The biggest present YET!" Sakura yelled in enthusiasm.

"Oh no…Don't tell me-"

"OH yeah, it is NARUTO! This gift, NARUTO, has several functions! He acts as an Alarm clock, radio, entertainment system, massager-"

"I don't want it, no thanks."

"Come on, Sasuke! Let me give you a demonstration." Sakura poked a silent but holding back his laughter Naruto.

"WAKEEE UP TEME!" He shouted.

"Oh no…" Sasuke shook his head.

"OHHHH I LOVE YOU BABY, AND IF IT'S QUITE OKAY, I NEED YOU BABYYY –change song- I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN, I'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME, PAPPA- PAPPARAZI!" Naruto sang, and Sasuke clamped his hands onto his ears, shielding his ears from exploding. Sakura only laughed hysterically. She poked Naruto again, causing him to shut his mouth all of a sudden.

"…What's the meaning of _this_ present?" Sasuke rubbed his temples.

"Oh. To remind you that you have to bond with Naruto more. You know? As best friends, you two have to really treat each other better! Best friends for life!" Sakura proudly said.

"I'd rather not have him as a gift…He's more like an item made for people to feel suicidal after spending five minutes with him." Sasuke muttered.

_Bonding with you would be WAY, MUCH, UNDOUBTLY better._

* * *

Present Four: Tomatoes and Onigiri.

Sasuke walked around the grocery store, looking for something to eat. He walked towards the section where the tomatoes were, when a paper bag suddenly appeared in front of his face. He took a few steps back, before sighing at the person holding what made him shocked for a second.

"Sasuke! Haven't eaten your lunch yet, right? You must be starving! Here's your fourth present, lunch from Haruno Sakura!" Sakura handed the paper bag filled with onigiri and tomatoes to him.

"…How'd you know what I wanted?"

"Oh. You know your ex-teammate Karin? Yeah she tattooed her arm, with the words 'Sasuke-kun likes Tomatoes and Onigiri! I love em' too!' I think the tattoo's stupid, but that information really helped when I saw her just now!" Sakura looked up, picturing Karin's tattoo.

"…"

"This present is to remind you, to always eat at the right times! Hah, just kidding. There are 4 onigiris inside and lots of tomatoes. The 4 onigiris are Kakashi, Naruto, you and myself. It shows how well we function as a team that we stand out, and will always be together…I know its kind of stupid logic, but yeah." Sakura laughed nervously.

"It's way better than having Naruto as a gift." Sasuke smirked a little.  
"Have a nice lunch!" Sakura said whilst laughing.

_We should be together._

* * *

Present Five: Kunai.

"Fire Style: Fire ball jutsu!" Sasuke chanted as he did hand signs and blew a fireball at a tree.

"Mmm, these marshmallows are gonna be so darn yummy." A voice came out and Sasuke withdrew his fire only to see Sakura there, who had a marshmallow on a stick, holding it in the air.

"Hey! I was gonna eat roasted, hot, squishy marshmallows!" Sakura pouted.

"Not when I'm training, Sakura. It's dangerous." Sasuke gave her an annoyed look.

"Alright, alright. Anyway, I've got the fifth present of the day!"

"Hn, what is it?"

"Kunai!" Sakura summoned a bunch of kunai and handed them over to Sasuke.

"You come up with the weirdest presents…" Sasuke muttered under his breath, thinking Sakura wouldn't hear it. Too bad, she did.

"Hey! They all hold meanings to them okay… Anyway, these Kunai symbolizes that people do fail sometimes." Sakura took 2 Kunai from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke just watched her.

She threw a Kunai into the air, aiming to hit a leaf falling from a tree. It hit it and the Kunai; leaf stuck to its tip had hit another tree.

"See? I managed to get the leaf. This is when you succeed. But there are times when…" Sakura trailed off as she threw the other kunai, but the aiming failed miserably and dropped into the bushes.

"We fail. Being the stubborn and arrogant guy you are, you hate failing. Failure is normal. The kunai missed, so what? At least I tried, right? You see, it symbolizes getting back up onto your feet when you fail and work harder, overcoming the obstacle the next time. Learn to be happy with failure, it helps you improve." Sakura winked. Sasuke twitched really obviously at the part where she described him as arrogant and stubborn.

"Oh, and these Kunai are special too! You can get a million bucks from selling them, but don't, okay." Sakura picked up the two kunai that she threw.

"Hm?" Sasuke waited for her to continue. She walked up to him, and showed him the kunai up close. It had her signature on it.

_I'll get up and work harder to overcome and fix the damage I had made._

* * *

Present Six: A Lollipop.

"Let me guess. You've already gotten my sixth present." Sasuke turned around abruptly, and pulled Sakura by her elbow to prevent her from falling, from the shock of Sasuke suddenly turning around.

"Wow, seems like you're getting used to this!" Sakura stabled herself.

"What is it this time?"

"A Lollipop!" Sakura pulled a big lollipop out.

"…The hell? What's this supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. When you're in a sticky situation, come to us for help instead of bottling it up inside yourself? I felt like eating one and bought one for you too." Sakura smiled, handing it over to him.

"Seriously, Sakura…" Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the candy.

_When you're in one, my own would be forgotten._

* * *

Present Seven: A teddybear.

"Sakura…" Sasuke muttered in awe as a giant teddy bear was placed in front of him.

"Yes, Sasuke?" Sakura's famous grin appeared.

"…No way."

"Yes way!"

"…What's this supposed to mean? That I should learn to love, and I should start with trying to be nice to this teddy bear?" Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Well no, I just wanted to give you something to hug at night, but what you just said could work too!" Sakura patted him on his shoulder.

"You're getting good at this!" Sakura giggled, while Sasuke stared at the teddy bear, thinking about how embarrassing it would be to go home with that in his hand.

"Sakura, you're following me home."

"Hmm why?"

"I've got to bring this teddy bear home. Picture an Uchiha doing that alone in the streets."

"Alright, alright. Let me make a call first." Sakura said, moving away for a while.

_I wish I had you to hug at night..._

* * *

Present Eight: A surprise party.

"SURPRISE! Happy birthday Sasuke!" A loud greeting was heard when Sasuke opened the door to his apartment.

"What the…" Sasuke blinked at everyone in his apartment. From Naruto and gang to people he didn't even know. He turned to Sakura once again.  
"What? It's a surprise party! You should be happy, you know! Go ahead and party!" Sakura walked in.

"Hey, what's this present supposed to mean?"

"Oh, so you want to know?" Sakura raised her brow. Sasuke just nodded.

"That you have everyone's love and support." Sakura smiled.

"You know, almost all your presents mean the-"

"Go ahead and socialize!" Sakura pushed Sasuke to the people in his house.

_If only I had more love from you than you'd give to anyone else._

* * *

Present Nine: 'How to be more Sociable' Book.

"That was one hell of a party!" Sakura waltz into Sasuke's house, seeing the mess that the guests had created, mostly Naruto's job. –insert his grin here-

"Where were you the whole time? It was horrible." Sasuke looked away, annoyed.

"Won't matter if I was here or not, since everyone else was here! I went to get your ninth present." Sakura said as she handed him a book.

"What? You're giving me a 'How to be more Sociable' book?" Sasuke looked at Sakura with an annoyed look plastered on his face.

"Yes Sasuke, read the whole thing. You should be more sociable. Sometimes you are just cold as ice! Read the first page, first example. Out loud." Sakura instructed him.  
"No."

"Read it!" Sakura commanded, opening the first page.

"…Smile." Sasuke muttered.

"Your first step to being more sociable, SMILE!" Sakura put her hands on his face and stretched his mouth.

"OI! What're you doing?" Sasuke tried pushing her away.

"Trying to make you smile."

"I can do it on my own!"

"Fine, show me."

Sasuke twitched before smiling a crooked smile.

"A proper one, Sasuke." Sakura glared.

"I can't if you're annoying me."

"Fine, smile for me later when you receive your last present. Promise?" Sakura held out her pinky. Sasuke was reluctant at first, but forced his pinky into 'grabbing' hers.

"Promise." Sasuke muttered under his breath.

_I'd smile if you were back by my side._

* * *

Present Ten: A bunny cosplay costume.

"NO Sakura, I am _not_ wearing _that_!" Sasuke struggled out of Sakura's grasp.

"Come on Sasuke! It was expensive! Besides, you would look freaking cute in it! That's the meaning of this present! That you'd look cute!" Sakura begged him.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES, That's final!" Sakura pulled Sasuke into the dressing room of the cosplay shop.

"NOOO!" Sasuke screamed in horror.

The owner of the shop could only be scared at the screams and yells coming from the dressing room beside her.

"I'm not wearing it!"

"Do you want me to strip you to your boxers or are you going to wear it yourself?"

"NEITHER!"

"Okay, I'll go with the first option."

"Get your hands off my shirt!"

"There! I ripped it off, now your pants."

"Damn you Sakura! Stop trying to pull my pants down!" Sasuke yelled. The owner of the shop knocked on the dressing room door.

"E-Excuse me… You can wear the costume without taking off your clothes…" The owner said softly. There was silence inside the room, before Sasuke yelled again.

"SAKURA!" Sakura got pushed out of the dressing room. Five minutes later, Sasuke came out, dressed in the bunny suit, but holding the head in this hands.

"There, I wore this thing. Happy?" Sasuke showed Sakura his infamous glare.

"You haven't put the head gear on yet."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and wore it.

"Can I change out of it now?" He asked from under the head.

"No. We'll walk around Konoha once." Sakura latched onto Sasuke's bunny suit's hand and walked off.

"What? NO!"

"I'll buy you a new shirt. Imagine walking around Konoha shirtless. Wow, would you be killed by the fangirls wanting to touch your body." Sakura challenged.

"…Way to treat the birthday boy." Sasuke gave in, walking out of the store.

_I'd be willing to be humiliated for your sake._

* * *

Present 11: Theme Park Ferris wheel.

"You called me out of my home just to accompany you on a Ferris wheel ride after humiliating me by telling everyone in Konoha who passed by us that I was Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke seethed.

"Well, you came and that's what matters." Sakura shrugged.

"…What's this present supposed to be now?" Sasuke asked, it being a regular question now, as he looked out of the cargo, to view Konoha's beauty.

"Whatever you want it to be. For me, this marks a new beginning. Nature changes its course at times, we humans do change too. But…what matters is that we are still the same deep inside. I brought you out here to see that the simple things in life that can make you happy, just like this Ferris wheel…It slows down the normally fast-paced life, and lets you enjoy what you always miss, nature and the company of your friends." Sakura gazed at the view. Sasuke smiled slightly.

"That's meaningful." He merely said.

"Glad you find it that way!" Sakura smiled at him, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"You know what would be the best last present?" Sasuke leaning over, Sakura being opposite him.

"What, what, what?" Sakura leaned in too, intent on finding out what he wanted.

"Our relationship being like that of when we were genin." He smirked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, you liking me…and me liking you secretly." He continued gazing at her. She widened her eyes, shocked that he had liked her back then.  
"So you liked me back then?" She said softly.

"Aa…I left because I wanted you to be safe."

"How about now?"

"I don't like you anymore."

Sakura looked down in sadness and Sasuke lifted her chin up.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear. Sakura's emerald eyes broadened, and soon found herself smiling the biggest she ever had. Sasuke moved away from her ear by then, and just when she was about to say something, her lips had made contact with someone else's. Sasuke closed his eyes as he pressed his lips softly against hers. Sakura slowly closed hers too. Both of them felt that the world had stopped by then, and were enjoying every second of it, when a voice interrupted them.

"Um, Miss, Mister…"

Both of them pulled apart, only to see the Ferris wheel operator blinking in front of them.

"I'm sorry, but your ride is already over… You can come again later…" She said, embarrassed that she had ruined their moment. Both of them, flushed, just walked out of the cargo, not turning back.

"You haven't told me your answer yet."  
"I love you too." Sakura understood what Sasuke had implied. Sasuke smiled a real smile after a long time, as he stared into Sakura's eyes.  
"You smiled!" She exclaimed.

"Hn…You haven't fulfilled the last bit of my last present yet."  
"What is it?"

"To call me Sasuke-kun again." Sasuke said in a serious tone. Sakura laughed, and hugged him.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun!"

_I love you, and always will, Sakura Haruno._

Present 12: For them to be in love.

-Insert a screaming Naruto, reminding Sakura and Sasuke that they have yet to treat him to his Ramen-

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A/N: Hope you liked it. Reviews? (:


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